Articles by Satyanarayana Dasa

By Satyanarayana Dasa: In his Bhagavata-sandarbha, Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī establishes on the basis of various Vedic scriptures that the birth and actions of the Lord are transcendental and distinct from those of mortal beings. Jīva Gosvāmī furthermore verifies that Kṛṣṇa’s names are also spiritual. The Lord is called anāmā (lit. nameless), because He does not have material names.

Based on Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī’s Bhagavat Sandarbha. By Satyanarayana Dasa. The Lord has two types of energy: parā and aparā. Parā means distant, beyond, superior, and so on. The energy is called parā because it is superior to, or beyond, the material energy, which is thus called aparā, i.e. near or inferior. In the Bhagavad Gītā, Kṛṣṇa states that the living beings can be counted as parā, because of their conscious nature:

By Satyanarayana Dasa: The word “jnana” is usually translated as “knowledge,” but, in fact, it is not that simple. In English, one says, “I know the name of a good restaurant,” or “I know Java,” and it is easily understood. But the simplicity of these terms is not the same in Sanskrit ....

By Satyanarayana Dasa: Guilt is an emotion which most of us have felt at various times in our lives. It is amazing how quickly guilt can kick in for the smallest, most meaningless things. It can be draining and depressing and can rob us of our mental peace and energy ...

By Satyanarayana Dasa: Long ago there lived a philosopher in India by the name of Charvak (lit., one whose speech is very enticing). Charvak propounded a philosophy akin to Epicureanism—that this is the only life and thus we should enjoy ...

By Satyanarayana Dasa: Nobody, except masochists, likes to suffer, but no one can avoid adversity. Bhagavan Krishna calls the material world an abode of misery, duhkhalayam (Gita 8.15), but He qualifies it as asasvatam, or temporary, meaning that misery does not endure.

Satyanarayana Dasa

Daily Bhakti Byte

Mind and heart work according to their nature. It is intelligence that puts restriction on them. But intense emotions of love, hate, greed, lust etc. subdue the intelligence and then one acts as per their nature, just like a child or an animal.